Method and system for corn fractionation

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatus for processing corn into one or more corn products. Oil is extracted from corn or corn products or by-products with a solvent. The corn-solvent mixture is separated into streams, one of which preferably includes an extract containing at least oil and solvent, and another containing de-oiled corn solids and adsorbed solvent. The solvent is separated from oil, and the de-oiled, desolventized corn solids are processed to provide one or more corn products.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 60/641,664, filed Jan. 6, 2005, under 35 U.S.C. § 119.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to corn fractionation processesand equipment. The invention specifically concerns production of one ormore corn products, such as industrial, food, feed, and/or kindredproducts, from corn.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Dry milling, in which whole corn is ground or milled to produce productsfor feed and food uses, is a popular method in the art for processingcorn. However, dry milling is typically restricted in its range ofproducts, and it typically is not designed to separate the individualcomponents of corn, except in certain methods wherein the corn ispartially degerminated prior to milling.

Another method of processing corn is the dry-grind ethanol process,which conventionally includes dry-grinding whole corn, and addingenzymes and yeast to the cooked corn to produce primarily fuel ethanol.Yet another method is corn wet milling, which produces corn oil, corngluten feed, corn gluten meal, starch, fiber, and corn steep liquor.

Conventional dry-grind and wet milling have limitations. For example,products of conventional dry-grind ethanol processing typically arelimited to ethanol, carbon dioxide, and distillers dried grains withsolubles (DDGS). Of these products, DDGS is a low-value animal feed,carbon dioxide has an even lower value and is often merely discharged tothe atmosphere, and ethanol, if used for fuel, competes unfavorably withlow-priced petroleum products. Thus, the dry-grind ethanol industrypresently needs government subsidies and tax waivers, which are likelyto be eliminated, for economic survival.

In wet milling, corn is first soaked in water (steeped) for severalhours prior to undergoing a series of grinding and separation steps thatresult in one or more of several products such as corn oil, starch, corngluten feed, corn gluten meal, fiber, and corn steep liquor. Corn wetmilling produces a multitude of high value products, but requires highcapital investments in plant and machinery. It also requires largeamounts of water, typically 5-9 gallons per bushel of corn, primarilyfor the purification of starch and for steeping.

The required steeping of corn in conventional wet milling istime-consuming. For typical steeping, corn is soaked in water at about50° C. and for 22-50 hours. Sulfur dioxide is added, and lactic acid isproduced by bacteria. Steeping is done mainly to facilitate a subsequentseparation of the germ that contains the oil.

Additionally, the water from the above steeping step (“steep water”) isdilute and has to be evaporated. This requires a significant amount ofenergy. The evaporated steep water (“corn steep liquor”) is sold as suchor added to the corn gluten feed, which is a low-value animal feed.

Further, the corn oil is in the germ of the corn kernel, and germseparation is a complicated process. Water with a specific density isadded to the ground corn for transportation to flotation tanks orhydrocyclones, where the oil-bearing germ is separated. The germ then issent to a series of screens, and the germ is washed with even morewater. Next, the germ has to be processed, typically dewatered, usuallyin germ presses. The pressed germ is typically 50% moisture and 25% oil,with the remainder being germ proteins (albumins and globulins) andother minor components of corn. The germ has to be dried prior toextracting the oil.

If oil extraction is done on site, germ proteins are added to corngluten feed, which is the lowest value product in a corn wet mill. Ifthe germ is then sold to another processor, the germ proteins are lost.Typical corn wet milling operations recover, at best, less than 85% ofthe oil of corn.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Methods and apparatus for fractionation of corn are provided. In apreferred method, oil is extracted from corn or corn products orby-products with a solvent. The corn-solvent mixture is separated intostreams, one of which preferably includes an extract containing at leastoil and solvent, and another that contains de-oiled corn solids andadsorbed solvents. The solvent is separated from oil, and the de-oiled,desolventized corn solids are processed to provide one or more cornproducts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentto those skilled in the art from the following detailed description andby reference to the drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing steps in an exemplary process forcorn fractionation to produce corn oil, fiber, corn gluten meal andstarch according a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing steps in an exemplary process forcorn fractionation to produce corn oil, zein, fiber, corn gluten mealand starch according to another preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a method of cornfractionation, and more particularly a method of processing corn intoindustrial, food, feed, and/or kindred products. A preferred processovercomes several limitations of conventional corn wet milling processesby eliminating the steeping and germ handling steps, and by reducingfresh water usage.

Generally, in preferred methods, oil is extracted from corn or cornproducts or by-products with a solvent. The corn-solvent mixture isseparated into streams, one of which preferably includes an extractcontaining at least oil and solvent, and another containing de-oiledcorn solids and adsorbed solvent. The solvent is separated from oil, andthe de-oiled, desolventized corn solids are processed to provide one ormore corn products.

More particularly, in a preferred method, corn is dry-ground and reactedwith organic solvent to extract oil. The oil is separated from theresultant extract and recovered from the extract using membranetechnology. Zein may also be produced if the solvent is ethanol, forexample. The de-oiled meal is subjected to a series of grinding andseparation operations such as centrifugation, hydryocyclones, and/ormembrane technology to result in one or more additional products such ascorn products, corn gluten meal, corn starch, and fiber. Zein may alsobe recovered by re-extracting the de-oiled meal with aqueous ethanol andultrafiltering the extract.

A method that eliminates the steeping process, and yet produces corn oilwith equivalent or greater yields and without the production or handlingof germ, has been described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,433,146 to the presentinventor, which is incorporated herein by reference. The '146 Patentdescribes a method of obtaining corn oil using an organic solvent suchas ethanol to extract the oil, followed by a primary separation step tofilter the extract and a subsequent membrane separation to concentratethe oil in the extract and to recycle the solvent. The de-oiled cornsolids residue from the primary separation step is one subject of thisinvention in exemplary embodiments.

Alternatively or additionally, zein protein may be partially orsubstantially extracted using an ethanol extraction, separation andmembrane separation. The zein-free corn solids, or alternatively thede-oiled zein-free corn solids, are processed by embodiments of thisinvention.

In an exemplary practice of this invention, the de-oiled corn solids aremixed with process water to create a suspension including starch, fiberand protein. It is subjected to grinding and separation steps toseparate the fiber from the starch and protein. The fiber is washed anddried, and the fiber wash water is recycled as process water or membranefiltered to recover the protein and starch. Then, the starch-proteinsuspension is subjected to an optional concentration step followed by aseparation step to separate the starch from the protein. The proteinfraction, containing some starch, is thickened and dewatered prior todrying. The starch is purified by washing with fresh water. The washwater containing the impurities is simultaneously separated from thestarch. This wash water is used as process water or is subjected tomembrane clarification and concentration to enable it to be recycled asstarch wash water and to recover the solids.

According to preferred embodiments for fractionation of corn, the cornis prepared for extraction, and the oil is extracted from the preparedcorn with a solvent, providing an extracted corn-solvent mixture. Theextracted corn-solvent mixture is separated into at least two streams,one including an extract containing the oil and solvent, and anotherstream including the de-oiled corn solids and adsorbed solvent. Thesolvent preferably is separated from the oil in the extract. Thede-oiled corn solids may be desolventized to substantially remove thesolvent and provide de-oiled, desolventized corn solids. These cornsolids may be resuspended in water, and one or more of fiber, starch,and protein may be separated from the corn solids to produce cornproducts.

Alternatively or additionally, zein may be extracted from the de-oiledcorn solids with a solvent. The de-oiled corn solids-solvent mixture maybe separated into at least two streams, of which one is another extractcontaining the zein and solvent, and the other includes the de-oiled,de-zeined corn solids and adsorbed solvent. The solvent may be separatedfrom zein by membrane processing the extract. The de-oiled, de-zeinedcorn solids may be desolventized to remove the solvent, and thedesolventized, de-oiled, de-zeined corn solids may be resuspended inwater. Fiber, starch and protein may be separated from these cornsolids.

In the above exemplary processes: for separating corn, preparing thecorn for extraction may include, for example, dry-grinding or flakingthe corn. The extracting may include, for example, batch or continuousextracting, and the solvent may include a hydrocarbon, an alcohol, anethanol such as 95-100% ethanol, or a solution thereof. Separating theextracted corn-solvent mixture may include, for example, centrifugation,filtration, or membrane filtration, and separating the first solventfrom the oil may include, for example, nanofiltration orultrafiltration. Desolventizing the de-oiled corn solids or de-oiled,de-zeined corn solids may use, for example, vacuum, steam, air, and/orgas. Separating the fiber, starch, and/or protein from the de-oileddesolventized corn solids or the de-oiled, de-zeined, de-solventizedcorn solids may include, for example, one or more grinding or separationsteps.

FIG. 1 shows a flow of a corn product extraction application of theinvention to a dry mill ethanol plant. A preferred method of the presentinvention first extracts oil and/or zein from corn using, for example,the methods described in the '146 Patent or by other methods. Corn orcorn processing by-products are the main raw material for preferredembodiments of this invention. For example, the corn inputs may includecorn (e.g., whole kernel or flaked corn), corn processing by-products(e.g., DDG, DDGS (distilled dried grains with solubles), corn glutenmeal, corn germ, or corn meal.

The raw material is ground and or sieved 10 to an appropriate size andshape. For example, a hammer mill or similar size reduction device, or aflaking machine is used to reduce the corn to an optimum particle sizefor extraction of oil with a particular solvent. If the raw material isa corn processing by-product, such as whole corn meal from a dry miller,this grinding or sieving step 10 may not be necessary. Preferably,moisture content of the corn should be 0-14% by weight.

The oil is extracted 12 using an appropriate solvent in an extractor.For example, alcohols such as ethanol, hydrocarbons such as hexane,acetone, and the like, including solutions thereof, may be used,provided the solvent efficiently extracts oil from the corn particles orflakes. The extraction may be batch or continuous extraction.

The resulting slurry including corn solids and the solvent is subjectedto a separation step 14, which may be, for example, centrifugation orfiltration. The slurry is separated into an extract 15 and a de-oiledresidue 17. The extract 15 is processed 16 through, for example,nanofiltration or reverse osmosis membranes to separate oil and/or otherextracted components from the solvent. The concentrated extract is sentto an evaporator 18 to remove the residual solvent. This removed solventmay be re-used in the extraction step 12. The crude corn oil 19preferably is refined 20, for example using methods well known in thevegetable oil industry.

Additionally, if ethanol, isopropanol, or similar solvent for extractingoil is used, a (usually) small amount of zein may be coextracted withoil in the extraction step 12, depending on the ethanol concentrationand other conditions. The zein can be recovered 22 prior to theseparation step 16 by processing the extract 15 with an ultrafiltrationmembrane, for example, and the permeate from recovery step 22 can besent for oil recovery in separation step 16. Exemplary methods andmembranes are described in the '146 Patent.

The de-oiled corn solids 17 typically contain starch, protein, fiber,minor constituents of corn, and adsorbed solvent. These corn solids 17are desolventized 24 by any of various methods or apparatus such asvacuum, steam, air, or gas. Heat may be applied to facilitatedesolventizing the corn solids. The solvent vapor 13 may be reused inthe extraction step 12.

Though it is not necessary for ethanol or other solvent to be producedin the same facility (e.g., a plant) as the extraction methods describedherein, in-house ethanol may be preferred for economic reasons. Forexample, fermentation and distillation steps may be conducted to producean ethanol supply for the extraction step 12. However, ethanol or othersolvent for the extraction step 12 may be procured from outside sources.Costs of corn processing may be reduced by practicing extensiverecycling of the solvent via the membrane step 16, the evaporation step18, and/or the desolventizing step 24. The number of times the solventcan be recycled will depend on the level of impurities contained in theused solvent, and how it affects the extraction efficiency in theextraction step 12.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the de-oiled,desolventized corn solids 25 are made into a slurry by adding water,which may be either fresh water or, preferably, process water recycledfrom downstream operations. The amount of water added should besufficient to efficiently conduct a fiber separation and washing step30. This amount of water may be, for example, 1-10 parts by weight ofwater to one part by weight of the desolventized dry, de-oiled cornsolids 25. In conventional wet milling, this is usually a ratio of 3parts water to 1 part corn solids.

The slurry is sent to the fiber separation and washing step 30. Thisstep is preferred to obtain maximum starch recovery while minimizingfiber in the final starch and protein products. Fiber separation andwashing may include one or more individual steps, which are well knownto those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, it may be optimal tofirst grind the de-oiled, desolventized corn solids 25 to release someof the starch from the fiber. Any of several milling devices known tothose of ordinary skill in the corn wet milling art may be used torelease the starch. For example, Entoleter-type mills that sling thematerial against pins at high speed may be used to free the starch withminimum fiber breakup. Disk mills, with counter-rotating disk mills orwith only one disk rotating at high speed, can also be used.

The slurry of de-oiled, desolventized corn solids 25 preferably isseparated in the fiber separating step 30 by centrifugation and/orfiltration. A preferred method of fiber separation in corn millingemploys a 50-70 micron wedge-wire pressure-fed screen, such as the 120DSM screens made by Dorr-Oliver, of Milford, Conn. Wash water, usuallyrecycled process water from other milling steps, is introduced in thelast of 5-7 stages of the unit and flows counter-current to the fiber.The wash water emerges from the first fiber washing stage as an“undersize” fraction 35 with ideally all the starch and protein that wasin stream 25. Washed fiber 41 from the last stage of the fiberseparation step 30 is dilute, typically 5-20% solids. It is dewatered ina dewatering step 42 by mechanical devices or methods, such as by usingscreen centrifuges, screened reels, screw presses, belt presses, or thelike. The fiber after the dewatering step 42 may be dried 44 in a drier,or may be mixed with other streams before drying.

Water 43 from the fiber dewatering step 42 may contain some starch andprotein. To recover the soluble germ protein and other proteins that maybe present in the fiber wash water 43, it may be sent back to the fiberseparation step 30, or processed through an ultrafilter fitted with aprotein-retaining membrane 46. The retained solids stream 49 from themembrane 46 can be sent to a primary starch separator step 38, to agluten filter/drier 64, or it may be marketed as a protein product byitself. The clear permeate 47 from the membrane 46 can be used for thefiber separation step 30 or as process water.

After the fiber separation step 30, a stream 35, commonly referred to asthe “mill stream”, preferably contains only starch, protein (less thezein that may have been removed in the zein recovery step 22), and somesoluble impurities. The solids level of the mill stream 35 may be low(typically 5%-20% starch and 0.5-2% protein). The starch and protein 35preferably is thickened using a mill starch thickener (MST) 36. The MST36 may be a centrifuge or a membrane filtration system, for example, asdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,648,978 to Liaw et al. The underflow (ifthickened with a centrifuge) or the retentate (if thickened with amembrane) 37 may have a 20%-30% solids concentration. This level ofsolids may facilitate better operation of a primary starch separationstep 38. The overflow or permeate 39 can be used as process water in theplant, which will also serve to recycle any solids that may be entrainedin the overflow or permeate.

It may be advantageous to first pass the starch and protein stream 35through a degritting step (not shown) prior to passing through the MST36. The degritting step removes the relatively fine gritty materialsthat may be in the stream 35. Manifolded cyclone systems, for example,can be used for this purpose.

The primary starch separation step 38 separates starch from the otherimpurities of the underflow or retentate 37 based on density differencesbetween the stream containing the protein and other impurities (whichhas a specific gravity of 1.1 or less) and the starch stream (which hasa typical specific gravity of 1.6). In a preferred embodiment, disk-typenozzle centrifuges are used for the starch separation step 38, such asthe BH-36B Primary Merco Centrifuge made by Dorr-Oliver. The overflow 61is the gluten stream containing 60-70% protein on a dry basis. Glutentypically refers to the two major insoluble fractions of corn, commonlytermed glutelin and zein. Gluten proteins are largely insoluble in waterat normal or acidic pH. Gluten may account for up to 80% of the totalnitrogen in corn.

The underflow 51 is a crude starch suspension typically containing30-35% solids, of which the protein and other impurities is 2-5% on adry basis. The starch underflow 51 is purified in a starch washing step52, which preferably includes a series of hydrocyclones in multiplestages. About 1.5-3 parts by weight of water per part of dry starch areused in a preferred hydrocyclone system. Alternatively, a membranemicrofiltration system such as that described by Shukla et al (Shukla,R., Tandon, R., Nguyen, M.; and Cheryan, M., Microfiltration of starchsuspensions using a tubular stainless steel membrane. MembraneTechnology (Elsevier), No. 120:5-8, 2000) may be used. A preferredmicrofiltration system uses 1-5 feed volumes of diafiltration water foroptimal purification. This starch purification step 52 preferably is theonly point in the overall process where fresh water is used.

Starch wash water 53 from the starch washing step 52 may contain starch,protein and impurities. The wash water 53 can be used as process waterin other steps of the overall process, or it can be processed with amembrane filter 54 to recover some or substantially all of the solids ina retentate stream 55. The retentate stream 55 can be recycled for usein the primary starch separating step 38 or to a gluten thickening step62 depending on its composition. A permeate 57 from the membrane filter54 preferably is clean enough to be recycled to the starch washing stage52 if reverse osmosis or nanofiltration is used in the membrane step 54,or to the fiber washing stage 30 if an ultrafilter or microfilter isused in the membrane. In preferred embodiments of this invention, sincethere is no steeping of corn, the use of membrane filters 54 will reducewater usage in the plant. Typical reverse osmosis membranes include SW30from Dow-FimTec or CPA from Hydranautics or AG from GE-Osmonics.

The output from the starch washing step 52 is a concentrated starchstream 59. This starch stream 59 may be dried or used further in theplant as needed.

The gluten (protein and starch) stream 61 resulting from the starchseparation step 38 is processed in a gluten thickening step 62, whichmay employ a centrifuge in a conventional manner or a membrane filter,for example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,968,585 to Liaw et al. Theconcentrated gluten stream may be sent to a gluten filter 64, and thendried for sale as corn gluten meal.

A dilute stream 63 from the gluten thickening step 62 and a dilutestream 65 from the gluten 64 may be used as process water in the plant.However, soluble germ proteins may be present in the gluten stream 61.There may thus be a significant quantity of protein in streams 63 and65. In conventional corn wet milling, such soluble germ proteins areused for corn gluten feed, which is a low-value product. In a preferredembodiment of the invention, stream 63 and/or stream 65 is passedthrough an ultrafilter 66 fitted with a protein-retaining membrane torecover substantially all the protein. The recovered protein can bemarketed as a corn protein fraction. The permeate from the ultrafilter66 preferably is used as process water.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a preferred process of the present inventionfor a plant focused on maximizing production of oil and zein isillustrated. Zein is an alcohol-soluble protein that has a multitude ofuses. Steps similar to those shown and discussed with respect to FIG. 1are labeled with like reference numerals.

Corn or corn processing by-products are the main raw material for thisinvention. The process for the oil extraction preferably is the same asdescribed for FIG. 1 and shown in FIG. 2 as steps 10 a through 20 a. Inthis embodiment, de-oiled corn solids 17 a are re-extracted (step 22 a)with 60-90% aqueous ethanol, more preferably 65-75% aqueous ethanol in asuitable extractor. If a solvent other than 95-100% aqueous ethanol isused for oil extraction, the de-oiled corn solids 17 a must bedesolventized before zein extraction (this desolventizing step is notshown in FIG. 2).

After the zein extraction step 22 a, the ethanol slurry is separated byfiltration or centrifugation into an extract 27 a and a de-oiled,de-zeined corn solids residue 23 a. The extract 27 a is processedthrough one or more ultrafiltration membranes 26 a to separate the zeinfrom the solvent and other low molecular weight impurities, as describedin the '146 Patent. The concentrated zein is sent to a drier 28 a.

The de-oiled, de-zeined corn solids 23 a typically contain starch,protein other than zein, fiber, minor constituents of corn and adsorbedsolvent, and water. The corn solids 23 a are desolventized 24 a by anysuitable means, such as vacuum, steam, air or gas. Heat may be appliedto facilitate desolventizing the corn solids 23 a. The solvent vapor maybe reused in the extraction step 22 a.

Similar to the process shown in FIG. 1, resultantde-oiled-de-zeined-desolventized solids 25 a containing mainly starch,fiber and nonzein protein are processed to remove fiber and starch asillustrated in steps 30 a-64 a, which are similar to the stepsillustrated in FIG. 1.

Preferred embodiments of the invention provide efficient, flexible andsimple processes for production of several products from corn. Further,a preferred process eliminates steeping of corn, which is one of themost troublesome and unpredictable steps in the conventional corn wetmilling process, and thus eliminates associated operations such as steepwater evaporators. Also preferably eliminated is the loss of corn solidsthat occurs due to leaching into the steep water.

Germ handling and separation preferably is completely eliminated. Crudecorn oil is produced rather than germ, thus ensuring a higher value tothe corn processor. In addition, germ proteins may be retained for morevaluable use rather than being lost with the germ (if the germ is soldto an outside oil processor) or put into corn gluten feed. Preferably,germ proteins can be incorporated into corn gluten meal, which is ahigher-value coproduct, or marketed as a separate product.

The volume of low-value corn gluten feed preferably is reduced oreliminated. In a traditional corn wet mill, corn gluten feed istypically 21% protein (dry basis). This low-value product is used as arepository for otherwise unmarketable components or by-products or wastematter generated in a corn wet mill. Examples include corn steep liquor,fiber, germ proteins, “mud” from the clarification of dextrose,fermentation by-products, filter aid, and the like. Such a product mayalso be produced in embodiments of this invention by blending the fiberwith the protein streams if needed. A substantially pure corn fiber mayalso be generated, which may have higher market value than if it isincorporated into corn gluten feed.

Further, preferred embodiments of the invention reduce fresh water usagein the plant by using membrane technology in several places in theprocess train, and most preferably membrane technology is used torecover water and solids from the starch washing stage.

The various embodiments described in the present invention should not beconstrued as being restrictive in that other modifications,substitutions and alternatives to specific equipment and methods arepossible and would be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art.For example, it should be understood that “membrane” refers to theappropriate membrane, whether it is microfiltration, ultrafiltration,nanofiltration, or reverse osmosis. Further, it should be understoodthat diafiltration may be used when necessary to purify the solids, andthat combinations of these membrane techniques may be used. It will befurther understood that specific corn products can be selected forproduction, and thus it may not be necessary to produce all availableproducts in a particular process, nor to perform all steps to make suchcorn products available. Also, it should be understood that, thoughpreferred embodiments of the present invention provide severalopportunities for recycling of ethanol and/or process water, the presentinvention is not to be limited to processes that recycle at all possiblesteps.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been shown anddescribed, it should be understood that other modifications,substitutions, and alternatives are apparent to one of ordinary skill inthe art. Such modifications, substitutions and alternatives can be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, whichshould be determined from the appended claims.

Various features of the present invention are set forth in the pendingclaims.

1. A process for fractionation of corn, the process comprising the stepsof: preparing the corn for extraction; without separating germ from theprepared corn, extracting oil from the prepared corn with a solvent toprovide an extracted corn-solvent mixture; separating the extractedcorn-solvent mixture into at least two streams, one including an extractcomprising the oil and the solvent, and the other comprising de-oiledcorn solids and adsorbed solvent; membrane processing the extract toseparate the solvent from the oil; desolventizing the de-oiled cornsolids from the other stream to substantially remove the solvent andprovide-deoiled, desolventized corn solids; resuspending said de-oiled,desolventized corn solids in water; and separating one or more of fiber,starch and protein from the suspended de-oiled, desolventized cornsolids to produce one or more corn products.
 2. The process of claim 1wherein the solvent comprises at least one of a hydrocarbon, an alcohol,hydrocarbon combined with water, and an alcohol combined with water. 3.The process of claim 1 wherein said separating the extractedcorn-solvent mixture comprises at least one of centrifugation,filtration, and membrane filtration.
 4. The process of claim 1 whereinthe extract comprising the oil and solvent is pretreated with anultrafiltration membrane, and wherein the process further comprisesnanofiltering a permeate from the ultrafiltration membrane to recoveroil and solvent.
 5. The process of claim 1 further comprising:separating fiber from the resuspended desolventized, de-oiled cornsolids; and washing the separated fiber.
 6. The process of claim 5further comprising: dewatering and drying the separated and washedfiber.
 7. The process of claim 6 wherein the wash water from said fiberdewatering is membrane filtered to recover protein and starch.
 8. Theprocess of claim 6 wherein the de-oiled, desolventized corn solids aftersaid fiber separating comprise a suspension including substantiallystarch and protein in water, and wherein the process further comprisesdewatering and thickening the separated fiber by at least one of acentrifuge, a membrane microfilter, and a membrane ultrafilter.
 9. Theprocess of claim 8 wherein the suspension is separated into crude starchand protein fractions.
 10. The process of claim 9 further comprising:washing and purifying the crude starch using water.
 11. The process ofclaim 10 wherein said washing and purifying uses at least one of ahydrocyclone and a membrane microfilter.
 12. The process of claim 11,further comprising: passing the wash water from said starch purifyingthrough at least one of a membrane, a reverse osmosis membrane, ananofiltration membrane, an ultrafiltration membrane and amicrofiltration membrane, to recover clean water and permeate andconcentrated solids.
 13. The process of claim 12 wherein the clean waterpermeate from said passing is recycled to upstream operations.
 14. Theprocess of claim 13 further comprising: recycling retained solids fromsaid passing to upstream operations to recover the solids.
 15. Theprocess of claim 9 further comprising: thickening the separated proteinfraction in a gluten thickener; wherein the gluten thickener includes atleast one of a centrifuge, a membrane microfilter, and an ultrafilterdesigned to retain substantially all proteins and starch.
 16. Theprocess of claim 15 wherein said thickening uses a centrifuge, andwherein the overflow from the centrifuge is sent to at least one of amembrane microfilter, an ultrafilter, and a nanofilter to recoversubstantially all the protein.
 17. The process of claim 15 wherein saidthickening uses a gluten filter; and wherein the process furthercomprises membrane processing a filtrate from the gluten filter using atleast one of reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, andmicrofiltration to recover protein.
 18. The process of claim 1 whereinsaid preparing comprises reducing a particle size of the corn; whereinthe prepared corn is not steeped before said extracting oil.